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This topic comes from a viewer question. Connie asks, “How do I get beyond the I, IV, and V chords when improvising Christmas music.” I thought this would make a great topic to cover all sorts of music and improvisation.

Before we begin, you might be wondering what the I, IV, and V chords are. Well if you are in C major, an I chord is built on C (C -E -G). The fourth note in the C major scale is F, so the IV chord is built on F (F – A – C.) And the V chord is built on G (G – B – D). These are referred to as primary chords, they are major triads and you can harmonize almost anything with the I, IV, and V chords!

In the video accompanying this article, I show an example of harmonizing using this technique with the song “On Top of Old Smokey” in A major. I use the I, IV, and V chords to create a simple harmony to accompany the melody. In A major that is the A major chord (A – C-sharp – E) the D major chord (D – F-sharp – A) and the E major chord (E – G-sharp – B). But what other chords could you add beyond the I, IV, and V?

You can start by using the secondary chords. Secondary chords are pretty much the rest of the chords beyond I, IV, and V. So they would be II, III, and VI-VII not so much because it’s diminished. The II, III and VI are minor chords. So in A major, the II chord is B minor (B – D – F-sharp), the III chord is C# minor (C-sharp – E – G-sharp), and the VI chord will be an F# minor (F-sharp – A – C-sharp). But where can you use these in the harmony?

The best thing to do is experiment. Try different combinations and see what sounds good. You can try substituting an II chord for the IV chord; you could even keep the same D in the bass inverting the chord. This creates a seamless change in harmony with a new flavor!

The beauty of improvisation is that there are no absolutes of right and wrong. While some combinations won’t sound as good as others, you can experiment and find out what sounds good to you. Keep working at it and eventually creating new and interesting sounds will become second nature.

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to Add Harmonic Spice to Your Music – Advanced Piano Lessons

This topic comes from a viewer question. Connie asks, “How do I get beyond the I, IV, and V chords when improvising Christmas music.” I thought this would make a great topic to cover all sorts of music and improvisation. Before we begin,

Happy Holidays everyone! If you’re a pianist (or a musician of any sort) you may be called upon by either family or friends to perform something for them this season. It might be fun to be able to accompany as people sing holiday favorites! While you may not have time to practice Christmas music, I have a simple solution for you!

Find some of the easiest Christmas music you can and make it your own by improvising! This is both an easy and fun way to present some holiday cheer as well as a way to practice your improvisation skills. In the video attached to this article, I use a song you can find on Virtual Sheet Music. There is a wide selection of Christmas songs available on the site and they have different arrangements for each of them (ranging from very easy to very difficult).

When it comes to improvising, the most important thing is being intimately familiar with the song. The great thing about using Christmas music is that you’ve heard them so many times; it’s perfect to improvise with!

In the video, I use the song “Greensleeves” (commonly known as “What Child is This”). I chose the easiest possible arrangement so it’s easy to read. You will hear an example of the music played exactly as written first and then a few improvised versions to see what is possible.

But how can you improvise on the written music? The beauty is that you can embellish any way you like! Don’t be afraid to experiment adding notes and altering rhythms. Then you can try to use play the left hand descending harmonies and make up a totally new melody on top! Or have someone play the left-hand part while you make up a melody. The only rule when it comes to improvising with this type of music is to have fun. Everyone you’ll play for will appreciate your efforts, so enjoy!

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to Improvise With Christmas Music

Happy Holidays everyone! If you’re a pianist (or a musician of any sort) you may be called upon by either family or friends to perform something for them this season. It might be fun to be able to accompany as people sing holiday favorites! While y

Welcome back to my ongoing series featuring the Chopin Preludes. In past lessons I’ve given tips on Chopin Prelude No. 4 (E Minor) and Chopin Prelude No. 6 (B Minor). Like these past lessons, I will be providing a few tips for this Prelude. If you want more advanced lessons, you are in luck as I will be producing some advanced courses on selected repertoire very soon; to get more information please email me directly at Robert@LivingPianos.com.

The thing that makes this particular Prelude so special is that it’s short in length but rich in depth. So what is the best way to approach this piece?

You might have noticed that this piece is broken into short sections with slur markings over each phrase. If you watch the video attached to this article you will notice that I utilize a lifting motion to begin each phrase. I also employ a technique which brings out the top notes for more expressive playing.

Lifting is a method you must employ that replicates how wind and string instruments begin playing phrases. I have played the French horn for many years and one of the most striking differences between playing the piano and playing wind instruments is how you start the first note of a phrase. When playing the French horn, you have to prepare yourself for the first note by taking a big breath and starting the note with the tongue. On the piano you can play a note simply by pushing the key down! How can you prepare yourself to produce the precise sound you are after?

Here is a lifting technique that is simple and effective for beginning a phrase with the exact sound you have in mind:

First, start with a limp wrist, then bring your arm down to the keys while straightening up your wrist. This creates backwards leverage which produces a slower release of the note giving you more control. If you use this technique you will soon notice that you have absolute control over the start of your phrases.

In addition, each one of the phrases in this piece should have a rise and a fall – just like a breath. It is vital that you avoid remaining static with your playing; you should always be either rising or falling.

Bringing out the top notes is another extremely valuable technique for expressive playing. When you are playing quietly it is necessary to delineate the top notes to make them stand out; otherwise the melody gets lost. The general rule is, the quieter you play, the more difference there must be between melody and accompaniment. When you play louder, this isn’t a problem since top notes will come through. However, when you are playing quietly, you need to reach with your fingers to delineate the top notes and make them sing.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com. If you want more information on the upcoming advanced videos I have planned please email me.

How to Play Chopin Prelude No. 7 in A Major

Welcome back to my ongoing series featuring the Chopin Preludes. In past lessons I’ve given tips on Chopin Prelude No. 4 (E Minor) and Chopin Prelude No. 6 (B Minor). Like these past lessons, I will be providing a few tips for this Prelude. If you

The third part in my series on Hanon’s Virtuoso Pianist comes from a viewer question about how much to practice these lessons. In case you missed them here are the first two parts in my series on:

Part 1 – The First Lessons

Part 2 – How to Practice Scales and Arpeggios

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as over-practicing exercises. One of the great things about the piano is that there is a wealth of music – so much so that it would be impossible to learn it all in a lifetime. So why practice strictly exercises when there is so much other music you could be learning and playing?

There are some instances in which you will need to correct technical problems with your playing and develop fluid a technique. Scales and arpeggios are a great resource for this. But how much is too much practice when it comes to exercises?

Generally, you should think of these as a warm-up to your practice session. If you dedicate 10 minutes to the beginning of your daily practice to focus on scales, arpeggios, or other exercises, it will benefit you immensely. What’s most important for your progress is the consistency of practice.

There may be times in your musical development when exercises can be critical in expanding your technique and developing strength. However, you should not ignore repertoire. You can continue to develop your strength and technical prowess while learning music as well – after all, we learn our instruments to play music!

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin: Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Learning Hanon’s Virtuoso Pianist Part 3 – How to Practice

The third part in my series on Hanon’s Virtuoso Pianist comes from a viewer question about how much to practice these lessons. In case you missed them here are the first two parts in my series on: Part 1 – The First Lessons Part 2 – How to Prac

Welcome to another part in my ongoing series featuring tips for Schumann’s iconic “Scenes from Childhood”. In part 1 of the series I talked about how this collection of pieces is a perfect choice of repertoire for intermediate to advanced students. Each piece has a distinct sound and feels to it so it gives students a wide range of music to learn as well as experience great composition.

Today I will be showing some tips for “Traumerei” which is a very classic piece of piano repertoire but also very elusive. This piece can really be overlooked by many students who don’t really understand the music in its full sense. There is a beautiful melody but it can be very difficult to know when to pedal. There is also a certain amount of freedom to how you can approach the piece as well.

Even though the piece requires the pedal, it’s always best to practice without the pedal. You should ideally be able to connect as much as possible together with only your hands before employing any pedaling. This is not an easy task and you will find it’s incredibly difficult to string much together with just your hands but this will help you understand where the pedal is actually needed.

The key to this piece is to bring out the singing melody – almost as if it were a vocal part. Every note should be smooth and distinct. By connecting as many notes as you can with your hands will allow you to get the desired effect – then adding the pedal will enhance the music.

The piece has a real ethereal quality to it. The piece has a very interesting composition and it really takes a mature student to grasp many of the finer aspects of the music. You should really do yourself a favor and watch various performances and listen to various recordings of this piece. It’s incredible to see how different performances can be for such a seemingly simple piece of music.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

Piano Lessons – Schumann – Scenes from Childhood – Part 2

Welcome to another part in my ongoing series featuring tips for Schumann’s iconic “Scenes from Childhood”. In part 1 of the series I talked about how this collection of pieces is a perfect choice of repertoire for intermediate to advanced stude